Northwest

The projects below reflect those for which we were able to gather supporting materials and multimedia. There are hundreds of local government and state agency project requests. If you’d like to see a project highlighted below, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

A 40-year-old transfer station and hazardous waste facility located in Fosston is due for an upgrade according to county leaders. Clay County says $8.5 million in bonding will help them construct and co-locate a new transfer station of materials facility. This will bring Clay County in line with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) standards and goals.

The new facility will aid the community in recycling efforts and provide a better customer experience by centrally locating the facility. Recently, Clay County joined the Prairie Lakes Solid Waste authority and the new facility will help with the increased demand as well as more efficiently meeting Clay County’s obligation to the authority.

The Department of Natural Resources is requesting $10 million in bonding for Itasca State Park, Minnesota’s oldest and first state park. The money is needed to renovate degraded buildings and other infrastructure, restore natural resources, and to offset energy use in the park, which is celebrating its 125th birthday in 2016.

The DNR’s priorities at the park include reforesting an 800-acre part of the park, as well as significant restorations of Nicollet Court, which is listed on the National Historic Register. The Court has been closed to the public for almost 15 years due to age and safety concerns. The roof is close to collapsing, which will render the building more difficult and expensive to salvage. The proposal is to completely renovate this historic building and create additional lodging at Itasca, which is in high demand.

Itasca State Park is the DNR’s most heavily visited park and is the largest revenue-generating park in the state.

A bridge with several foot-wide holes isn’t much of a bridge, according to Nielsville city leaders. The Nielsville bridge runs over the Red River and connects the town to North Dakota. The bridge is used heavily by sugar beet farmers to transfer their goods to nearby sugar processing facilities. However, due to the large holes in the bridge deck, it’s unsafe for travel and is closed. Because of the closure farmers, merchants and emergency vehicles are re-routed down gravel roads to other bridges miles to the north and south. To complicate matters, North Dakota is unwilling to help share the $7 to $9 million cost of fixing the bridge, putting the cost solely on Minnesotans.

A premiere Minnesota mountain biking destination is looking to expand its already robust trail system. Cuyuna Recreation Area is a 5,000-acre park created from former mining pits and rock deposits that have been repurposed as a state park. The area boasts 25 miles of single track mountain bike trails as well as miles of shoreline. The Minnesota DNR is asking for $3.6 million for new trails, expanded camping, yurts, a trail head, additional parking, restrooms and an operations shop.

This request is part of a larger $14 million request for recreation area and trail development across the state.

Access to dental care for Minnesotans is incredibly scarce in the northern part of our state. For Minnesotans without dental insurance or financial means, the struggle is even greater. The Northern Access Dental Center opened in 2009 in Bemidji to cater to this very population. In the first year the center served 2,200 people, and just four years later it was serving more than 12,000 patients annually.

The Center is requesting $3.5 million in bonding to help construct a new, $9 million facility. The existing facility has maxed out its useable space, its dental suites are cramped, patients aren’t given the privacy they deserve, and there is simply not enough space to handle the number of patients who need attention every day. The new facility will allow this dental center to greatly expand its reach, allowing them to serve thousands more families and children across the state.

Built in 1966, the Clay County Jail is the oldest jail in the State and has far exceeded its life expectancy. Due to state mandated changes in cell size, classification and other building requirements, the jail has lost 6 of the original 96 beds available. Limited to a 75% operational capacity, the jail houses an average of 30 inmates at other facilities every day, incurring a cost of more than $545,000 per year.

The Clay County Jail in Moorhead sits just across the Red River and North Dakota. On average, 30 % of jail inmates are North Dakota residents. According to jail officials, this percentage continues to rise as a result of the recent Bakken Formation oil boom in North Dakota and the rising criminal behavior and enterprises that develop along with such population increases.

Clay County is requesting $13.78 million to build and equip a new 188-bed jail for the county. The total project cost is $24. 7 million.

Clay County jail officials say the age and outdated design of the jail, coupled with the substantial population increase over the last several decades, has rendered the jail grossly insufficient.

The Staples Community Center has served the Staples Area since 1974, providing aquatic programming, Senior Services, fitness center, and gymnasium-based programming. The facility is at the point where substantial renovations are necessary which will trigger ADA requirements to be met. The city is requesting $9.5 million in bonding to help cover project costs for the renovation and expansion of the building.

The expansion project is extensive, including relocating and building walkways, a new sewer and water service, a new building for the multi-use gymnasium, a second story walking track as well as ADA requirements including an elevator, as well as new boilers, flooring, tuck-pointing, and more.

Last year, Moorhead averaged 85 trains passing through the city each day; about 5-7 of those trains each day were carrying oil from North Dakota. Train crossings in Moorhead block city streets between four and eight hours each day. These crossings have created safety concerns for pedestrians and vehicles, are barriers to emergency services and first responders, and serve as economic viability concerns.

The City of Moorhead is requesting $42.262 million to complete an underpass project at a four-lane highway ‘spaghetti junction’ intersection in town, which would dramatically increase safety and decrease wait times all together, allowing passenger vehicles and trains to co-exist. The total cost of the project is $50.762 million.

The city of Grand Rapids is requesting $750,000 in bonding funds for a pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River. The river and the bridges have become a barrier for pedestrians and the promotion of a healthy community. Within the city core there are two vehicular bridges that cross the Mississippi River, but both have narrow sidewalks and no room for bicycles to cross the river safely.

The proposed bridge would give pedestrians and cyclists a safer alternate route to the TH 169 vehicle bridge. Grand Rapids is at the center of many regional trail systems that would also benefit from this project. If it receives funding, visitors and residents would finally have a ‘complete street’ to cross the river safely. The total project cost for the bridge is $1.5 million.

MSUM is renovating Weld Hall, its oldest building on campus, and is requesting $775,000 in bonding to help fund the project. According the University, this project will preserve the oldest and most distinguished building on campus and bring it into the 21st century with current codes, energy efficient building systems, and state of the art teaching environments. The renovation will foster faculty-student engagement and promote interactive workshop-style classes.

Weld Hall, home to the English department on campus, has some of the most significant deferred maintenance on the MSUM campus and this project will address those issues. Renovating Weld Hall will result in a $7.113 million reduction in deferred maintenance for the school.

The EPA's phase out of the refrigerant R-22 in the year 2020 has prompted Grand Rapids’ IRA Civic Center, as well as many other ice arenas across the state to retrofit or replace their existing cooling systems. The Center is requesting $2.025 million in bonding funds to make improvements to the space.

The project to renovate the aging facility would include replacing a refrigeration system, replacing a dehumidification system, installing an elevator to make the facility ADA compliant, renovating the upper lobby, and constructing an addition to the east venue. IRA Civic Center officials say the undersized dehumidification system cannot handle the demands of year-round ice, and an elevator would make the facility fully accessible as currently people in wheel chairs need to go outside to move from our upper lobby to our main floor.

Built in 1966, the Clay County Jail is the oldest jail in the State and has far exceeded its life expectancy. Due to state mandated changes in cell size, classification and other building requirements, the jail has lost 6 of the original 96 beds available. Limited to a 75% operational capacity, the jail houses an average of 30 inmates at other facilities every day, incurring a cost of more than $545,000 per year.

The Clay County Jail in Moorhead sits just across the Red River and North Dakota. On average, 30 % of jail inmates are North Dakota residents. According to jail officials, this percentage continues to rise as a result of the recent Bakken Formation oil boom in North Dakota and the rising criminal behavior and enterprises that develop along with such population increases.

Clay County is requesting $13.78 million to build and equip a new 188-bed jail for the county. The total project cost is $24. 7 million.

Clay County jail officials say the age and outdated design of the jail, coupled with the substantial population increase over the last several decades, has rendered the jail grossly insufficient.

Access to dental care for Minnesotans is incredibly scarce in the northern part of our state. For Minnesotans without dental insurance or financial means, the struggle is even greater. The Northern Access Dental Center opened in 2009 in Bemidji to cater to this very population. In the first year the center served 2,200 people, and just four years later it was serving more than 12,000 patients annually.

The Center is requesting $3.5 million in bonding to help construct a new, $9 million facility. The existing facility has maxed out its useable space, its dental suites are cramped, patients aren’t given the privacy they deserve, and there is simply not enough space to handle the number of patients who need attention every day. The new facility will allow this dental center to greatly expand its reach, allowing them to serve thousands more families and children across the state.

MSUM is renovating Weld Hall, its oldest building on campus, and is requesting $775,000 in bonding to help fund the project. According the University, this project will preserve the oldest and most distinguished building on campus and bring it into the 21st century with current codes, energy efficient building systems, and state of the art teaching environments. The renovation will foster faculty-student engagement and promote interactive workshop-style classes.

Weld Hall, home to the English department on campus, has some of the most significant deferred maintenance on the MSUM campus and this project will address those issues. Renovating Weld Hall will result in a $7.113 million reduction in deferred maintenance for the school.

The city of Grand Rapids is requesting $750,000 in bonding funds for a pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River. The river and the bridges have become a barrier for pedestrians and the promotion of a healthy community. Within the city core there are two vehicular bridges that cross the Mississippi River, but both have narrow sidewalks and no room for bicycles to cross the river safely.

The proposed bridge would give pedestrians and cyclists a safer alternate route to the TH 169 vehicle bridge. Grand Rapids is at the center of many regional trail systems that would also benefit from this project. If it receives funding, visitors and residents would finally have a ‘complete street’ to cross the river safely. The total project cost for the bridge is $1.5 million.

The Staples Community Center has served the Staples Area since 1974, providing aquatic programming, Senior Services, fitness center, and gymnasium-based programming. The facility is at the point where substantial renovations are necessary which will trigger ADA requirements to be met. The city is requesting $9.5 million in bonding to help cover project costs for the renovation and expansion of the building.

The expansion project is extensive, including relocating and building walkways, a new sewer and water service, a new building for the multi-use gymnasium, a second story walking track as well as ADA requirements including an elevator, as well as new boilers, flooring, tuck-pointing, and more.

A premiere Minnesota mountain biking destination is looking to expand its already robust trail system. Cuyuna Recreation Area is a 5,000-acre park created from former mining pits and rock deposits that have been repurposed as a state park. The area boasts 25 miles of single track mountain bike trails as well as miles of shoreline. The Minnesota DNR is asking for $3.6 million for new trails, expanded camping, yurts, a trail head, additional parking, restrooms and an operations shop.

This request is part of a larger $14 million request for recreation area and trail development across the state.

The EPA's phase out of the refrigerant R-22 in the year 2020 has prompted Grand Rapids’ IRA Civic Center, as well as many other ice arenas across the state to retrofit or replace their existing cooling systems. The Center is requesting $2.025 million in bonding funds to make improvements to the space.

The project to renovate the aging facility would include replacing a refrigeration system, replacing a dehumidification system, installing an elevator to make the facility ADA compliant, renovating the upper lobby, and constructing an addition to the east venue. IRA Civic Center officials say the undersized dehumidification system cannot handle the demands of year-round ice, and an elevator would make the facility fully accessible as currently people in wheel chairs need to go outside to move from our upper lobby to our main floor.

Last year, Moorhead averaged 85 trains passing through the city each day; about 5-7 of those trains each day were carrying oil from North Dakota. Train crossings in Moorhead block city streets between four and eight hours each day. These crossings have created safety concerns for pedestrians and vehicles, are barriers to emergency services and first responders, and serve as economic viability concerns.

The City of Moorhead is requesting $42.262 million to complete an underpass project at a four-lane highway ‘spaghetti junction’ intersection in town, which would dramatically increase safety and decrease wait times all together, allowing passenger vehicles and trains to co-exist. The total cost of the project is $50.762 million.

A 40-year-old transfer station and hazardous waste facility located in Fosston is due for an upgrade according to county leaders. Clay County says $8.5 million in bonding will help them construct and co-locate a new transfer station of materials facility. This will bring Clay County in line with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) standards and goals.

The new facility will aid the community in recycling efforts and provide a better customer experience by centrally locating the facility. Recently, Clay County joined the Prairie Lakes Solid Waste authority and the new facility will help with the increased demand as well as more efficiently meeting Clay County’s obligation to the authority.

A bridge with several foot-wide holes isn’t much of a bridge, according to Nielsville city leaders. The Nielsville bridge runs over the Red River and connects the town to North Dakota. The bridge is used heavily by sugar beet farmers to transfer their goods to nearby sugar processing facilities. However, due to the large holes in the bridge deck, it’s unsafe for travel and is closed. Because of the closure farmers, merchants and emergency vehicles are re-routed down gravel roads to other bridges miles to the north and south. To complicate matters, North Dakota is unwilling to help share the $7 to $9 million cost of fixing the bridge, putting the cost solely on Minnesotans.

The Department of Natural Resources is requesting $10 million in bonding for Itasca State Park, Minnesota’s oldest and first state park. The money is needed to renovate degraded buildings and other infrastructure, restore natural resources, and to offset energy use in the park, which is celebrating its 125th birthday in 2016.

The DNR’s priorities at the park include reforesting an 800-acre part of the park, as well as significant restorations of Nicollet Court, which is listed on the National Historic Register. The Court has been closed to the public for almost 15 years due to age and safety concerns. The roof is close to collapsing, which will render the building more difficult and expensive to salvage. The proposal is to completely renovate this historic building and create additional lodging at Itasca, which is in high demand.

Itasca State Park is the DNR’s most heavily visited park and is the largest revenue-generating park in the state.